This category includes guides on steeping tea, blending tea and growing herbs for tea. Â It also includes wellness information on which herbal teas best help with specific health problems.
Herbal teas can have medicinal properties for sure, but that doesn’t mean they need to taste medicinal!
Try some of these blends for health AND for flavor. Then grow a few of your own herbs with our guides and enjoy tea and herbal tea year-round.
Quick Summary: Lapsang Souchong is a Chinese black tea dried over pinewood fires, producing a bold, smoky flavor that people either love immediately or learn to appreciate. This guide covers […]
Lapsang Souchong and Smoky Teas: A Guide to Drinking, Cooking, and Pairing Read Post »
Quick Summary: Homemade flavored simple syrups add real fruit and herb flavors to iced tea without artificial ingredients. These eight recipes pair beautifully with black tea, green tea, white tea
Flavored Simple Syrups for Iced Tea Read Post »
Quick Summary: Fresh fruit transforms ordinary iced tea into something beautiful and delicious. Add sliced strawberries, muddled blueberries, or a handful of raspberries to your tea for natural sweetness and
Fruit-Infused Iced Tea: How to Make It with Fresh Summer Fruit Read Post »
Quick Summary: Dandelion root, milk thistle, burdock root, and turmeric have the most evidence for supporting liver function. Your liver detoxifies your body constantly without help, but certain herbs may
Tea for Liver Support: Gentle Herbs That Help Your Body’s Detox System Read Post »
Quick Summary: For those managing autoimmune conditions, chronic fatigue syndrome, long COVID, or fibromyalgia, typical “immune boosting” advice can backfire. The goal isn’t to stimulate your immune system, rather it’s
Quick Summary: Red clover, black cohosh, vitex (chasteberry), and red raspberry leaf have the most traditional use and research support for hormonal symptoms. They work through different mechanisms and address
Quick Summary: Turmeric, ginger, willow bark, and nettle have the strongest evidence for joint pain relief. They work through different mechanisms, primarily reducing inflammation and blocking pain signals. Tea alone
Herbal Teas for Joint Pain: Which Herbs Actually Help and How to Use Them Read Post »
Quick Summary: Green tea, rooibos, and hibiscus have the most evidence for supporting skin health through antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Drinking tea can help protect skin from oxidative damage and
Tea for Skin Health: What Drinking Tea Can (and Can’t) Do for Your Complexion Read Post »
Quick Summary: Green tea and oolong tea have the most research support for modest metabolic effects, primarily through caffeine and catechins like EGCG. The effects are real but small. Tea
Teas for Metabolism: What the Research Actually Shows Read Post »
Quick Summary: Black tea, green tea, yerba mate, and matcha provide sustained energy through a combination of caffeine and other compounds like L-theanine that smooth out the energy lift. For
Tea for Energy: An Alternative to Coffee Read Post »
Quick Summary: Ginger, peppermint, fennel, and chamomile have the strongest evidence for digestive relief. They work through different mechanisms. Some relax intestinal muscles, while others stimulate digestive enzymes or reduce
Quick Summary: Chamomile, passionflower, lemon balm, and lavender have the strongest evidence for easing anxiety. They work through different mechanisms, from binding to GABA receptors to lowering cortisol, and most
Teas and Tisanes for Anxiety: Which Herbs Actually Help and How to Use Them Read Post »
Quick Summary: Certain herbal teas (tisanes) have genuine calming effects that can help you wind down before bed. Here’s what the research shows and how to build a tea routine
Tea for Sleep: Which Herbal Teas Actually Work and How to Use Them Read Post »
Quick Summary: Tea grading terms like OP (Orange Pekoe) and BOP (Broken Orange Pekoe) describe leaf size and appearance, not flavor or quality. OP indicates whole leaves; BOP indicates broken
Tea Grading: What Does OP and BOP Mean? Read Post »
Quick Summary: Store tea in airtight containers away from light, heat, moisture, and strong odors. Properly stored loose leaf tea stays fresh for 6-12 months. Avoid refrigerating or freezing most
How to Store Tea to Keep It Fresh Read Post »
Quick Summary: Recent studies show that plastic and nylon tea bags can release billions of microplastic particles into a single cup of tea. Even some paper tea bags contain plastic
Microplastics in Tea Bags: What the Research Shows and Why Loose Leaf Is Safer Read Post »
Quick Summary: Yes, water quality significantly impacts tea flavor. Hard water, chlorinated tap water, and mineral-heavy well water can make tea taste flat, bitter, or metallic. Filtered water or spring
Does Water Quality Affect How Tea Tastes? Read Post »
Quick Summary: Lapsang souchong is a black tea smoked over pinewood fires, producing a distinctive campfire aroma. Originating in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian, China, it was the first black
What Is Lapsang Souchong? The Original Smoked Tea Read Post »
Quick Summary: Pu-erh is a fermented tea from Yunnan, China, that improves with age like wine. Unlike other teas that are best fresh, pu-erh undergoes microbial fermentation that develops complex,
What Is Pu-erh Tea and Why Is It Aged? Read Post »
Quick Summary: Everything you need to know about tea, from true teas (black, green, oolong, white) to herbal tisanes, and from basic brewing to creating your own blends. Covers tea
The Complete Guide to Tea: Types, Brewing, Blending, and Growing Read Post »
Quick Summary: A London Fog is Earl Grey tea with steamed milk and vanilla, named for the city’s famous mist. This cozy drink is easy to make at home and
How to Make a London Fog: The Earl Grey Tea Latte Read Post »
Quick Summary: Sweet tea isn’t just a beverage in the South, it’s a cultural institution. This guide covers why sweet tea became the regional drink, what makes it different from
Southern Sweet Iced Tea: Why It’s Popular (And How to Make It Right) Read Post »
Quick Summary: A tea tasting party lets guests sample multiple teas, similar to a wine tasting. Set up flights of 3-5 teas organized by theme (regional, type, or flavor profile).
How to Host a Tea Tasting Party (with Tea Flight Ideas) Read Post »
Quick Summary: Yes, you can grow Camellia sinensis (the tea plant) in American home gardens, but success depends on your climate. Tea plants thrive in USDA zones 7-9 with acidic
Can You Grow Tea Plants at Home? A Guide to Camellia Sinensis Read Post »
Quick Summary: Four reliable methods for making large batches of iced tea: hot brew and chill, cold brew overnight, sun tea, and concentrate. Each method has trade-offs in time, flavor,
How to Make Big Batch Iced Tea: 4 Methods That Work Read Post »
At the St. Paul Farmers’ Market, I sell both caffeinated teas and caffeine-free herbal blends (tisanes), and caffeine content is one of deciding factors in purchasing tea. The answer depends
Caffeine in Tea vs Coffee: What You Need to Know Read Post »
Quick Summary: Loose leaf tea offers better flavor, more variety, and often costs less per cup than tea bags. The leaves are larger and less processed, allowing them to unfurl
Is Loose Leaf Tea Better Than Tea Bags? Read Post »
Quick Summary: A Ploughman’s Lunch is a traditional British cold meal of cheese, crusty bread, pickles, and accompaniments served in pubs across Britain. It pairs naturally with Builder’s Brew, a
The Ploughman’s Lunch: British Pub Food at Home Read Post »
Quick Summary: Five practical gifts for tea enthusiasts, from electric kettles with temperature control to portable tea infuser thermoses. Includes a recipe for hibiscus tea (Agua de Jamaica) that works
Gifts for Tea Lovers (Plus Hibiscus Tea Recipe) Read Post »
Quick Summary Box: Quick Summary: Black tea steeps at 212°F for 5 minutes, while delicate white tea needs only 175°F for 2 minutes. Using the wrong temperature results in bitter
What Temperature Should You Steep Tea? A Complete Guide Read Post »
